The Montana American Indian Caucus (Native American legislators) has recently petitioned Department of Interior Secretary Haaland to initiate planning for restoring a large herd of bison “under Tribal management” on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.
Their petition follows a similar December petition to the Biden administration from the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council. It echoes widespread Native American advocacy for increased Tribal influence over management of resources in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.
The current petition notes that federal leadership is necessary due to recent actions by the Montana legislature and by Governor Gianforte to prevent any restoration of public-trust wild bison in our state. It advocates planning by a CMR working group consisting of Tribal representatives and federal managers. Notably, no non-Native American citizens would be represented until options have been developed for a decision under an environmental impact statement. A bison herd “that is cooperatively managed by several tribes” is envisioned.
In Montana, there are hundreds of bison on six Tribal reservations. These are tribal-trust bison managed to benefit Tribal members. Appropriately, cultural, spiritual, commercial and nutritional values have been emphasized. Now, the Montana American Indian Caucus requests “one of the largest bison herds in North America” on the CMR Refuge, “managed by Tribal wildlife managers and biologists” for “cultural, spiritual and economic” values to the Tribes.
In contrast, there are no public-trust wild bison, year-round, in Montana. Public-trust bison would be managed democratically to benefit all citizens, including Native Americans. On the CMR Refuge, under the mission of the federal Refuge System and the CMR Conservation Plan, ecological and biodiversity values of a bison herd would have precedence; but the recreational and economic values of tourism and public hunting would not be neglected.
Montana American Indian Caucus members are correct. Montana legislatures and administrations have failed to fulfill public-trust responsibilities with bison restoration for many decades. Recent actions by the legislature and Governor have been the most severe and blatant expression of this betrayal of trust. Thus, sovereign federal leadership is necessary to restore bison as a keystone species on the people’s CMR Refuge.
However, not more tribal-trust bison, but Montana’s first and only public-trust bison herd is needed on the CMR to accommodate the aspirations of all Americans for maintaining a truly wild bison herd and wild prairie ecosystem in the Northern Great Plains. Secretary of Interior Haaland should be petitioned to recognize this egalitarian national responsibility. It is time to fulfill federal statutory obligations by proceeding to restore public-trust wild bison on the CMR Refuge, if necessary under federal management without support of the state government.
